THE Segway electrically-powered scooters have a software glitch which could make its wheels unexpectedly reverse, causing riders to fall off, the manufacturers announced yesterday.

The US company has declared a recall of all 23,500 scooters it has shipped ? but those sold in Bermuda can be easily repaired on the island, according to local distributor Steve Territo.

A dozen-strong fleet of the distinctive Segway Personal Transporters are used for tours around Dockyard and around a dozen others have been sold to individuals on the island since they were first passed for sale last October.

"Segways in Bermuda will not have to be sent back to the US ? the company is sending a machine to me so I will be able to fix those machines," Mr. Territo said. "It should arrive here by next Tuesday or Wednesday.

"It's a very minor problem and it's something I've never seen happen and I've been using them for two years. I've had more than 1,000 tourists on my Segway tour, from the age of 13 to 89, and it's never happened to any of them."

He said any Segway owners whom he had not already contacted, should call him on 504-2581 and he would visit them to fix the scooter.

And Mr. Territo added that he would meet with cruise line representatives last night to spell out that his tour scooters would be rectified by next week with a software upgrade.

The Personal Transporters have proved popular with their owners, Mr. Territo said. Powered by a lithium iron battery, they can travel 25 miles on a charge which costs just 25 cents.

A new generation of four-wheeled Segways could arrive soon on the Bermuda, if the Government gives the nod to the distributor's application to import them.

"The great thing about the four-wheelers is that they fit into a scooter bay," Mr. Territo said. "They are perfect for Bermuda's narrow roads and because they are electrically powered, there are no emissions. This is 21st-century technology. It just takes time for people to get into it.

"A lot of people have called me about the four-wheeler and it has been flown down here for the Government to look at. They were very positive about it, but it still has to go through its full tests."

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, with whom Segway is co-operating on the voluntary recall, said consumers should stop using the vehicles immediately.

Segway has received six reports of problems with the Personal Transporter, resulting in head and wrist injuries.

Only in a very specific set of circumstances can the problem occur, Segway said yesterday.

The scooter's speed is determined by how far forward the user leans, and if the rider leans too far forward, a "speed limiter" pushes them back to keep the device at its maximum speed of 12.5 mph. The problem happens after the speed limiter tilts back, the rider steps off the device and then gets back on it quickly.

Injuries suffered by victims have included broken teeth, a broken wrist and facial injuries including one that needed surgical repair.

US President George W. Bush suffered the most infamous Segway tumble when he tried out one of the machines at his family's estate in Maine in 2003. In that case, the scooter tipped over and the President managed to stay on his feet.